Virtual Experiment # 5

Flow through Packed Beds

Theory
Packed beds find several uses in the industry for they offer an increased surface area-to-
volume ratio that is needed in applications like liquid-gas absorption, heterogeneous catalysis,
humidification, leaching, etc. Basically, a packed bed contains a packing material that ensures that
a fluid flowing through it will not pass through a straight line, thereby increasing its residence time
in the bed. This is useful in applications wherein an increased residence time, increased surface
area of contact, and non-straight flow path increases mass transfer rates significantly.
The friction factor of a packed bed is our main concern for packed beds because it dictates the
pressure drop of the flowing fluid. The friction factor is a function of rate of fluid flow, physical
properties of the fluid (density and viscosity), and packing parameters (size, shape, void fraction, etc.).
The friction factor for flow through packed beds is governed by the Ergun equation:
150
𝑓𝑝 = + 1.75 (1)
𝑅𝑒𝑝

The friction factor 𝑓𝑝 and the Reynolds number 𝑅𝑒𝑝 are defined as:
∆𝑃 𝐷𝑝 𝜀3
𝑓𝑝 = ∙ ( ) (2)
𝐿 𝜌𝑢𝑠2 1 − 𝜀
𝐷𝑝 𝑢𝑠 𝜌𝜑
𝑅𝑒𝑝 = (3)
𝜇(1 − 𝜀)
where 𝛥𝑃 is the pressure drop, 𝐿 is the bed length, 𝐷𝑝 is the mean particle diameter, 𝜌 is the fluid density,
𝜇 is the fluid viscosity, 𝑢𝑠 is the superficial fluid velocity, 𝜑 is the particle sphericity factor, and 𝜀 is the
bed porosity (void fraction). The superficial fluid velocity is the velocity of the fluid at the same
volumetric flow rate flowing without the packing material in the packed bed.
For laminar flow (𝑅𝑒𝑝 ≤ 1), the 1.75 on the right-hand side term of equation (1) becomes
negligible. The resulting simplification leads to the Kozeny-Carman equation:
∆𝑃 𝐷𝑝 𝜀3
∙ 2( ) ∙ 𝑅𝑒𝑝 = 150 (4)
𝐿 𝜌𝑢𝑠 1 − 𝜀

Under laminar flow, equation (4) indicates that pressure drop is linearly proportional to
velocity, meaning faster flows would increase the pressure drop of the fluid. For highly turbulent
150
flows (𝑅𝑒𝑝 > 1000), the term of the Ergun equation becomes small compared to 1.75. The
𝑅𝑒𝑝
simplification leads to the Blake-Plummer equation:
∆𝑃 𝐷𝑝 𝜀3
∙ 2( ) = 1.75 (5)
𝐿 𝜌𝑢𝑠 1 − 𝜀

For highly turbulent flow, the pressure drop becomes directly proportional to the square of
velocity, thereby further increasing the pressure drop for high velocity flows.
KRSPamintuan
April 2021
 It is worth noting that the Ergun equation fares better for systems with low porosity. For
systems with high porosity such as organized packing, fairly large errors are expected between
theoretical and experimental data. In this experiment, the relationships between pressure drop, flow
rate, and particle size in a packed bed will be explored in the context of a packed bed reactor.

Objectives
• To examine the behavior of fluid flow past an object in relation to fluid flow through packed
beds.
• To examine the effect of particle size on flow rate and pressure drop in a packed bed reactor.
Precautions
Make sure to take rests in between activities while facing your computer to avoid eye and
mind strain. Also, stay hydrated!

Procedure
1. Download the simulator:
a. Flow around a Sphere at Finite Reynolds Number by Galerkin Method - Wolfram
Demonstrations Project
b. Pressure Drop in a Packed Bed Reactor (PBR) Using the Ergun Equation - Wolfram
Demonstrations Project
2. In the simulator, you can adjust the Reynolds number (for single sphere) and particle
diameter of the catalyst in the packed bed reactor. Assume that all particles have the same
size and are all spherical.
3. Open the Experiment 5 FDS item in our Blackboard class. The FDS contains 2 parts:
a. Fluid flow past a sphere
b. Effect of particle diameter on pressure drop and flow rate
4. There are no calculations in this experiment. You just need to observe trends and
relationships between parameters.
5. Prepare your lab report using the format given. Focus on giving in-depth discussions of
the obtained values and try to address the guide questions given here.

Guide Questions

1. Would the fluid flow pattern be similar for flow past a single sphere and flow past a packed bed?
2. Would we expect the same behavior for liquids and gases flowing through a packed bed? What is
the main difference between these two fluids, and what effect does that have on the pressure drop
and flow rate?
3. In an industrial setting, is the choice of particle size influenced by the application? Or is it more
influenced by the pressure drop and flow rate required? Think about its most common applications
like catalytic reactors, cooling towers/humidifiers, absorption towers, etc.

KRSPamintuan
April 2021